Chapter 00274: Things Are Never That Easy
# Things Are Never That Easy
Chapter 274
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 274: Things Are Never That Easy
*Crack!*
"OK! Take a break!"
"Food's here! Food's here!"
On the set of TVB's drama *The Legend of Master So*, Andy Lau, dressed in a traditional Republican-era mandarin jacket, stepped off set and lined up to grab his meal.
By this time, Sir Run Run Shaw had taken over TVB as chairman of the board, bringing along the frugal habits from Shaw Brothers Studio.
Those in the know understood—plastic sheet waterfalls, the ancestral rooster bowl, all started from here...
*The Legend of Master So* starred Chow Yun-fat, Michael Miu, and Michelle Yim—hot young actors and actresses of the time.
But the sets were just as shabby, and the food was no better.
Andy Lau, playing a supporting role, took his meal and retreated to a corner, eating in silence.
"Hey, why the long face?"
A hand suddenly clapped his shoulder.
Chow Yun-fat sauntered over.
His skin was dark, his hair naturally curly, and he stood at 178 cm—180 cm with shoes.
If he seemed toweringly tall, it just meant the other male stars were particularly short...
Andy Lau was only 169 cm.
Never trust any numbers in the entertainment industry.
*The Bund* had already aired by then, making Chow Yun-fat a hot TV star, though his movies flopped one after another.
He got along well with Andy Lau and asked, "I've been watching you these past few days. What's the trouble?"
"*Boat People*... I'm in a bad spot right now."
"I saw George Lam and Cora Miao making public statements. What did the company say to you?"
"The company says I'm a newcomer. They'll smooth things over with the association—just write a private letter of repentance and it'll be fine."
"That sounds good! Why are you still moping?"
"I..."
Andy Lau opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to tell the truth.
He sighed instead.
Lately, he'd been on edge, restless, terrified that Mr. Chan would come for him.
But after waiting and waiting, there was no movement—which only made him more uneasy.
The company's stance was to handle things quietly—no public statements, just a private letter of repentance.
Think about it: making a public statement one day and then collaborating with leftists the next? That would be slapping the association in the face.
A private apology left plenty of room for maneuvering.
After lunch, filming resumed.
Andy Lau went through the motions distractedly, occasionally glancing at Chow Yun-fat. *Boat People* had originally approached Chow, but he turned it down and recommended Andy instead.
Now, stuck in this mess, his feelings were complicated.
"If only I hadn't acted so impulsively back then!"
Once the day's work wrapped up, Andy found he still had some time and headed to TVB to look for the person in charge—Artiste Department manager Siu Kwok-wai.
"Andy, what brings you here?"
"I'm still a little worried."
"Don't be. You're just a newcomer—who'd bother betting on you?"You signed a contract.
I won't stop you from filming, but the key is not to do it right after *Boat People*.
If the association sees it, they’ll think we're deliberately provoking them.
"You can film leftist movies—just keep it low-key. By the time it finishes shooting and releases, it’ll be at least half a year later. The *Boat People* mess will have blown over by then. If the association raises a fuss, I can explain—just write another guarantee letter."
"Will that really work?"
"They just want you to film. If we agree to let you go, what more can they say?" Siu Kwok-wai chuckled.
Andy thought it over and felt slightly reassured.
---
The next morning arrived in the blink of an eye.
Siu Kwok-wai sat in his office, staring fixedly at his desk.
On it lay a red envelope—the dreaded "Life-and-Death Decree" that Hong Kong filmmakers loathed.
"Right, the New Year's over. That guy must be back in Hong Kong."
He swallowed hard and opened it.
Truth be told, he was a little curious.
Inside was a letter expressing formal greetings, along with a business card that boldly proclaimed, as usual: *Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China*.
The lower one's standing, the more courage one had to act recklessly—because there was nothing to lose.
But the higher one climbed, the more one understood the weight of a national-level authority.
Mainland China had made its stance clear on Hong Kong's sovereignty—they intended to negotiate with Britain.
The ones panicking were Hong Kong’s top elites.
Siu Kwok-wai wasn’t an elite, just a mid-level manager.
But he knew TVB’s stance: offend no one, focus on making money.
This Mr. Chan had official mainland credentials—at the very least, surface-level respect was necessary.
"He's coming this afternoon?"
He considered whether to inform his superiors but quickly dismissed the idea.
Bothering TVB’s higher-ups over a newcomer’s troubles would make him look incompetent.
"Today, I’ll see what he’s made of!"
With these thoughts swirling, afternoon soon arrived.
Finally, someone announced, "A Mr. Chan is here to see you!"
"Show him in!"
A moment later, Chan Kei entered, impeccably dressed in a suit—still without a tie, maintaining his signature style.
He glanced at Siu Kwok-wai, a man he’d never heard of, likely some insignificant figure destined to fade into obscurity.
After exchanging pleasantries, Siu Kwok-wai took the initiative.
"I’ve long heard of your reputation, Mr. Chan. Are you here about Andy’s matter?"
"Exactly. Months ago, I signed a contract with Andy Lau. At the time, he wasn’t yet a formal employee of yours. Technically, I didn’t need to go through you, but I’ve come today to settle things face-to-face."
"That’s reasonable. It’s always better to talk things out than settle scores later."
Siu Kwok-wai smiled.
"I’ve reviewed Andy’s contract. There’s no issue—we abide by the rules. A signed contract must be honored."
"Oh?"
Chan Kei looked mildly surprised.
"Manager Siu, your reasonableness makes this much easier."
"Mainland friends often misunderstand us. We’re businessmen—harmony brings wealth."
"True. Left or right doesn’t matter."
Chan Kei nodded.
"Uh..."
Siu Kwok-wai had no response to that.
He could only laugh awkwardly—after all, Shaw Brothers actively supported the Free Federation and maintained good relations with Taiwan.
"So you agree to Andy joining our production?"
"Precisely!"
"Good. This has been a pleasant conversation. Thank you for your hospitality."
Chan Kei stood, shook hands, and took his leave.
Siu Kwok-wai watched him go and couldn’t help but smirk. *Everyone says this guy’s difficult, but he’s nothing special.*
Meanwhile, Chan Kei got into his car and yawned.
"Mo, tell me—why do some people always think they can play both sides, profiting from everyone?"
"Maybe because they’ve been spoiled too much?" Mo replied.
"Ah, you’ve finally said something wise!"
Chan Kei laughed.
"They think it doesn’t matter whose films they make—shoot for the right, then the left. If the right complains, just write an apology, then do it again. Keep apologizing, keep filming, and in the end, they still come out ahead... Tsk. Since when has life ever been that easy?"
---
*"With skills so rare, yet love’s barrier too high to bear, too high to bear, tender affection..."*
The next day, Siu Kwok-wai hummed *The Romantic Swordsman* as he arrived at work.
As the head of TVB’s artiste department, he wielded considerable power.
The moment he entered, he spotted a roster on his desk—this year’s trainee class:
*Tony Leung, Bobby Au-Yeung, Francis Ng, Eddie Kwan, Lee Chi-hung...
Huh? Why is there a night student—Stephen Chow?*
He skimmed through it before setting it aside to check the day’s newspapers.
As he read, Siu Kwok-wai suddenly shot to his feet, cursing, "*Damn mainlander! No sense of decency!*"
There, in *Wen Wei Po*, was the return of a crowd-pleasing segment—the King of Hell’s name list:
"*Boat People* has wrapped. Having seen some footage, it’s a quality film."Especially newcomer Andy Lau—unshaken by the spotlight, full of potential.
Given time, he’ll go far.
"Our collaboration with Andy Lau has been extremely pleasant. We’ve already reached an agreement for his next project—a romance film. Stay tuned..."
(That's it!)
(End of chapter.)